Pocket Presence

[Brady#12]

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/5516418

Heres my view, Brady's awareness in the pocket is special. It is actually quite amazing at times, because I can't count how many times I've seen him step away from a guy that was bearing down on him from his blind side etc.

Is is some kind of spidey sense or does he hear them coming?

If Brady was not as good as he is then I would guess the sack numbers would be a lot worse than they are now. He saves us a ton of sacks with his brain and smart foot work.

Ron Jaworski argued last year that he was the "most mobile" QB in the game today by his definiton of the term---which is escaping pressure in the pocket.

In that sense he probably is the ''most mobile'' QB in the game today.

But you wouldn't be able to determine that by looking at a 40 time.

As nice as it is to have a guy who can escape the rush and pick-up yards with his feet, I would rather have a guy who evades the rush while looking downfield and completes passes. Marino was very good also. He moved less but his release was so fast he could still get rid of the ball even when the rush was on top of him. I think that one of the reasons Brady is so in tune with the rush is because he is calling the protections. Watch him before the snap. He is identifying the Mike LB to his blockers and sets the scheme with the center. Not many QBs are this involved in setting the protection. He checks to see where the safeties are. They will usually tell him how many potential blitzers there are and if his protection is outnumbered. He can set the protection based on this. He can check to hot routes or check to more blockers IE: keep the TE or RB in to block. He has a good idea how many are coming after him on the snap.

Another thing the Pats do that I think helps the O-line out so much is that they alter Brady's set up point so much. He rarely just drops back 5 steps, plants and throws. He will drop three and role away to the other side of the formation. He will roll one way, and reverse direction to a set up point outside the tackle box. He is very good at this. Doing that really screws up the pass rushers who are schooled on rushing the set-up point. Pass rushers are taught to rush the set-up point where they think the QB is going to end up. They see the QB drop and think, Is it 3,5,7 step or a roll/sprint out and rush accordingly. The Pats are unconventional. They don't boot Brady much but they also don't drop him right to his set-up point all the time either. The rushers have to readjust where they are going. The OL knows where he will eventually set-up so they have an advantage. I think this is how they really neutralized Julius Peppers in the SB. He never knew where Brady would be, slowed down, and the OL/TE/RB controlled him.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

Interesting read. It makes you look back to last season with 2 rookies and a reserve center, not to mention the rookie equivalent TE and Neal's sophomore jinx. Tommy got hit more because his O-line had to 'think' about where he was in the pocket, it wasn't a practiced instinct to know where he was each moment. It also shows how critical Faulk is with his ability to read the blitz the way Tommy sees it and move with Tommy to counter the threat. Good insight into the choreography of the pocket. In terms of the Pass debate raging in another thread, it works for Patrick that he's the #2 3rd down back...

Thanks for posting the article.